Laureate Dashboard Photographer's Profile Award Showcase The Gallery Publications Gears University Expeditions Career About Us Dev-Lab Learning & AI Future Curriculum Curiosity & Consciousness Sign In 📲 Install App Submit Your Work →
Contributing Writer Memory, Objects & Elegiac Prose

Marta Vidal

Marta Vidal is a writer and archivist whose work explores what physical objects hold — letters, worn photographs, things kept against all practical reason. She has contributed to Light & Composition since 2016. A photograph for Marta is always a form of preservation, something the photographer chose to keep. Her Reflections open with a specific object and arrive, gently, at what it means when the moment has long passed.

393 Published Reflections

Reflections by Marta Vidal

Showing 12 of 393 essays
The Weight of the Wait Photo of the Day
January 6, 2018

The Weight of the Wait

I keep a small, silver thimble in my desk drawer that belonged to my grandmother. It is dented on one side, a tiny scar from years of pushing needles through heavy wool. When I hold it, I am reminded that patience is not merely the absence of movement, but a deliberate, quiet tension. We spend […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of the Path Photo of the Day
January 6, 2018

The Weight of the Path

I keep a small, rusted iron key in my desk drawer that no longer opens any door I know. It is heavy for its size, cold to the touch, and worn smooth by the friction of a hand that has long since stopped reaching for it. We spend our lives collecting these fragments—the keys to […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Morning Photo of the Day
January 3, 2018

The Weight of Morning

I keep a small, rusted key in a velvet-lined box, one that no longer fits any lock I own. It is heavy for its size, cold to the touch, and carries the faint, metallic scent of a house that was demolished decades ago. We often hold onto these remnants not because they are useful, but […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Small Hopes Photo of the Day
December 16, 2017

The Weight of Small Hopes

I keep a small, rusted tin box in the back of my desk drawer, filled with the discarded stubs of train tickets I never used. They are thin, brittle slips of paper, their ink fading into the color of a bruised sky. Each one represents a journey that was postponed or a destination that remained […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Echo of Painted Shutters Photo of the Day
December 12, 2017

The Echo of Painted Shutters

I keep a small, rusted tin box filled with mismatched buttons, each one a relic from a garment long since surrendered to the moths. There is a deep indigo button from a winter coat I wore when I was seven, and a translucent, pearlescent one that once held together a blouse my grandmother favored on […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Small Things Photo of the Day
December 2, 2017

The Weight of Small Things

I keep a small, brass key in a velvet-lined box on my desk, though I have long since forgotten which door it once opened. It is heavy for its size, worn smooth by the friction of a thumb that belonged to someone I never knew. There is a peculiar ache in holding an object that […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Unfolding Photo of the Day
November 25, 2017

The Weight of Unfolding

I keep a small, silver thimble in my desk drawer, worn smooth by a thumb that no longer moves. It is a hollow thing, yet it feels heavy with the weight of all the seams it once helped to close. We spend our lives trying to stitch together the fraying edges of our days, hoping […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Worn Leather Photo of the Day
November 15, 2017

The Weight of Worn Leather

I keep a small, brass thimble in my desk drawer, its surface pitted and smoothed by decades of resistance against the needle. It belonged to a tailor who lived in the quiet end of our street, a man whose fingers were always stained with the dark ink of indigo and the dust of old wool. […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of the Daily Photo of the Day
November 7, 2017

The Weight of the Daily

I keep a small, rusted tin box on my desk, the kind that once held peppermint lozenges. It is dented at the corners and the lid sticks, but inside, it holds the receipts and scraps of paper I have collected from my own quiet errands over the years. Each slip is a ghost of a […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of a Glance Photo of the Day
October 30, 2017

The Weight of a Glance

I keep a small, tarnished silver thimble in my desk drawer, a relic from a grandmother who spent her life mending what was torn. It is pitted and worn, shaped by the constant, rhythmic pressure of a needle against its surface. When I hold it, I am reminded that attention is a form of devotion. […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Weight of Ribbons Photo of the Day
October 28, 2017

The Weight of Ribbons

I keep a small, frayed silk ribbon in the back of my desk drawer, the kind that once held a braid tight against the wind. It is faded now, the color drained by years of sunlight and the simple passage of seasons, yet it remains heavy with the weight of a childhood afternoon. We spend […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
The Pause Between Heartbeats Photo of the Day
October 24, 2017

The Pause Between Heartbeats

I keep a small, smooth river stone on my desk, worn down by years of being turned over in my palm. It is a heavy, silent thing, yet it holds the weight of a summer afternoon when time seemed to stop entirely. We spend our lives rushing toward the next hour, the next season, the […]
Visual Archive Read Essay →
Light & Composition University

Aspire to Write for Light & Composition?

Master the discipline of literary essayism, photographic criticism, and evocative narrative. Explore our accredited diplomas, masterclasses, and craft workshops.

Diploma in Creative Writing and Copywriting Professional Diploma
1-Year Comprehensive Curriculum $275.00

Diploma in Creative Writing and Copywriting

From the first story you dare to set down in your own voice to the single persuasive line that makes readers take notice. Master narrative non-fiction, storytelling, and high-impact editorial writing.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Becoming a Writer Foundational Masterclass
Self-Paced / Core Curriculum $8.00

Becoming a Writer

For writing stories that move readers — that shape their feelings, raise their expectations, and show the world through your unique artistic lens.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Basic Creative Writing Certificate Course
8-Week Intensive $75.00

Basic Creative Writing

Develop an instinct for rhythm, descriptive precision, and evocative prose. Learn the fundamentals of transforming visual observations into compelling essays.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Advanced Creative Writing: Character, Setting, and Story Advanced Workshop
8-Week Masterclass $75.00

Advanced Creative Writing: Character, Setting, and Story

Deepen your narrative architecture. Master character interiority, sensory setting descriptions, and the literary craft of non-fiction and short essays.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
The Art of the Opening: Writing the Lede Craft Masterclass
Focused Masterclass $75.00

The Art of the Opening: Writing the Lede

The art of the opening sentence and decisive paragraph. Learn how to arrest attention and command the reader’s gaze from the very first line.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
A Photographer’s Guide to Writing Visual & Prose Synergy
Publication & Guide $5.00

A Photographer’s Guide to Writing

A guide for photographers who want to articulate the philosophy behind their images, write artist statements, and craft features for global publications.

View Curriculum & Enroll →
Explore All Diplomas & Degrees →